A main stress-point for parents who are in the midst of a divorce situation is the impact on their children. Divorce is an emotional and confusing time for everyone involved, but often children are too young to understand why mommy and daddy are no longer together. You may be concerned about how to best talk with them about divorce issues such as custody and visitation arrangements. You can help your children be better prepared to deal with this process by addressing concerns ahead of time. View the five ways to help your children deal with child custody arrangements below.

1.  Don't procrastinate dealing with the issue. Your children very likely already know more than you realize, and, without facts from you, they will fill in the missing information from their own imagination. Set aside some quiet time where you can talk to them about the situation.

2.  Form a single, united front. Help your children to understand that you will both continue to parent them, even if you are physically apart, by discussing custody details together. As long as you can continue to discuss not only the divorce and custody arrangements together, but all important decisions affecting your children, your children will benefit.

3.  Keep a positive attitude. Children can pick up on your moods and behavior, so make an effort to look at the bright side of the situation. Additionally, don't be tempted to portray the other parent in a negative manner. While it does take a concerted effort to remain upbeat during this stressful time, your children deserve to continue to view both of you as positive role modes.

4.  Make it simple. Judge how much and what type of information they are capable of understanding by their age and maturity level. Take their opinions, needs and feelings about the custody arrangements into consideration when setting up the agreement, but be firm and consistent in the enforcement of the plan.

5.  Assure them of your love. Children of nearly any age can misunderstand the entire divorce process and end up feeling abandoned and unloved. Your kids may reason that if parents can stop loving each other, they could also be in danger of being "divorced" from their parents. Misbehavior and emotional difficulties can often be traced back to this simple misunderstanding.

By following the above tips you can help ensure that your children are impacted by your divorce as little as possible. Keep an open line of communication between you and your children, and stay civil and cooperative with your soon-to-be ex-spouse. Be on the alert for abnormal behavior and enlist the assistance of a child and family therapist if necessary. Your children can survive this traumatic event if both parents prioritize their well-being. You may also want to consider hiring a divorce attorney, such as LeCroy Law Firm, PLLC, to help the process go as smoothly as possible.

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